AWARENESS FACTS

Prevalence, Statistics, and Helpful Information

Chronic illness, mental illness, and caring for a loved one with illness impacts every aspect of life – faith, families, finances, friendships, education, hobbies, employment and marriage.

CHRONIC ILLNESS

Globally, more than 60% of the population lives with one or more chronic illnesses.
- This is approximately 171 million people in the U.S.
- 42% have two or more chronic conditions
- 29% have three or more
- 19% have four or more
- 12% have five or more
Invisible illness characterizes approximately 96% of those with chronic illness.
25% have illness that limits activity
The healthcare needs of people with multiple chronic conditions are often complex.
- 71% of all US healthcare spending goes towards treating people with MCC.Although MCC affect many working-aged Americans (49% of those aged 45-64), prevalence increases with age (80% of people 65 and older live with MCC).
Chronic Illness affects 42% of the children in the world; this includes approximately 32 million American children aged 0-17 years.
- 29% have two or more chronic conditions.
- About 40% of children in the US aged 2 to 8 years have a chronic health condition.
Approximately 33% of people with chronic illness experience symptoms of depression.

MENTAL ILLNESS

Statistics are for the U.S.

Almost 47 million adults experience mental illness in a given year.
Mental Illness impacts 1 in 5 adults. More than 11 million adults experienced serious mental illness (SMI) in 2017.
Nearly 1 in 25 adults live with a serious mental illness.
60% of those living with serious mental illness do not receive treatment.
Almost 50% of teens in the US have a mental disorder.
Globally, mental illness impacts 16% of adolescents.
1 in 5 children in the US aged 3-17 years (20%) are diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.
Approximately 33% of people with chronic illness experience symptoms of depression.
Almost 33% of people experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime.
Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death of young people aged 15–19 years.
50% of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% by age 24.
Almost half of the adolescents with mental health issues do not receive any mental health services.
70% of youth in state and local juvenile justice systems have a mental illness.

CAREGIVING

Statistics are for the U.S.

4 in 10 people are caring for a loved one with significant health issues.
More than 65 million people provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member.
36% of family caregivers care for a parent or loved one over 50 years old.
Family caregivers spend an average of 24.4 hours per week providing care. Nearly 1 in 4 of these caregivers spends 41 hours or more per week providing care.
1 in 7 caregivers provides care for special needs children.
Many caregivers have been in their role for an average of 4.6 years
23% of family caregivers caring for loved ones for 5 years or more report their own health is fair or poor.
40% to 70% of family caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression with approximately 25% to 50% of these caregivers meeting the diagnostic criteria for major depression.
More than 2 in 10 (21%) of family caregivers report that caregiving has caused their physical health to deteriorate.

CHILDREN & TEENS

Chronic Illness

Chronic Illness affects 42% of children aged 0-17 years (approximately 32 million children) in the U.S.
- 29% have two or more chronic illnesses.
- More than 40% of school-aged children in the U.S. have at least one chronic health condition.
An estimated 15-20% of children and teens have one or more chronic illnesses. Some require daily and lifelong medical treatment.
Approximately 50% of people affected by rare diseases are children.
30% of children with a rare disease don’t see their fifth birthday.

Mental Illness

Almost 50% of teens in the U.S. have a mental disorder.
Globally, mental illness impacts 16% of adolescents aged 10-19 years.
1 in 5 children in the US aged 3-17 years (20%) are diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.
Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death of young people aged 15–19 years.
50% of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% by age 24.
Almost half of adolescents with mental health issues do not receive any mental health services.

ANXIETY

Globally, an estimated 284 million people have experienced an anxiety disorder, making it the most prevalent mental illness.
Worldwide, 1 in 13 people live with anxiety.
Approximately 19.1% of U.S. adults had an anxiety disorder in the past year.
Anxiety disorders are higher for females (23.4%) than for males (14.3%).
Approximately 31.1% of U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetime.
Approximately 22% are seriously impaired.
An estimated 31.9% of adolescents have an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders among adolescents are higher for females (38.0%) than for males (26.1%).

DEPRESSION

Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world.
Globally, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression.
Approximately 17.3 million people 18 and older (7.1% of the adult U.S. population) have had at least one episode of depression in any given year.
More adult females (8.7%) than males (5.3%) experience major depression.
Prevalence of major depression is highest among young adults 18-25 years old (11.3%).
Among adults diagnosed with major depression, close to 80% will continue to have episodes off and on for the remainder of their lives.
Among U.S. adolescents aged 12-17, about 3.2 million (13.3%) have a major depressive episode in any given year.

SUICIDE

Globally, one person ends his or her life every 40 seconds .
Worldwide, almost 800,000 people die due to suicide each year.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 34 in the U.S.
In 2018, 48,000 people ended their own lives in the U.S., making it the tenth leading cause of death.
From 1999 to 2018, the suicide rate increased 35% in the U.S.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for persons aged 10-19 with rates recently increasing 33%.
From 2007 to 2017 suicide rose 56% for young people aged 10-24.

SUICIDE PREVENTION

Hold Onto Possibility Everyday

Are you thinking about ending your life? Reach out for support.

Are you concerned about a friend or loved one ending their life? Ask. Listen. Love. Pray.

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